Skinny Peach
Trees: Good for Commercial Growers and Home Gardeners

Skinny peach trees under evaluation
in experimental orchards across the United States and in three foreign
countries could give homeowners two for the price of one: an attractive,
space-saving tree plus sweet and juicy, full-size peaches.

The columnar, or pillar, form maintains a diameter of about 5
feet, fully grown, and would fit neatly into a tiny town-house yard, according
to ARS horticulturist Ralph Scorza. In commercial orchards, these compact trees
can be planted much closer together than conventional trees that branch out to
16 feet across.

That translates into many more peaches per acre, while land and production
costs remain about the same. One estimate shows grower profits could increase
by 20 to 50 percent, according to Scorza. Another advantage of high-density
planting: Growers may get a profitable crop the second year after planting,
when the pickings would be too slim in a conventional orchard to make
harvesting worthwhile.

For growers who may not be ready for such a radical change, Scorza selected
the upright tree that reaches eight to 10 feet across. Left unpruned, both tree
forms reach a height of 12 to 15 feet after several years.

The columnar form has two copies of the gene that sends the branches
skyward, while the upright has only one copy. But both selections produce
yellow-fleshed, dessert-type peaches with smooth, melting flesh that is sweet
and aromatic. They are firm fleshed, store well, and soften when completely
ripe.

Because their forms are so different from conventional trees, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed a
patent application on both. ARS is the USDAs chief scientific research
agency.

Read more about the trees in the
December issue of
Agricultural Research magazine.